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Dear Christ Child Members,
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We have had a busy spring with visits to Central High, layette assembly, a home mass, and my favorite event, our annual Baby Shower and luncheon. In the extremely capable hands of Ann Marvin and Linda Massengill, the luncheon was a lovely event. With over 80 in attendance, Father Brian Plate celebrated mass with us and we were lucky to have beautiful music provided by Angela Intili and Greg Scime. I love the fact that we are able to have the mass and luncheon right in Memorial Hall. I like the intimacy of being with our members. Another highlight for me is presenting the Mary Virginia Merrick Award. This year was no exception, as I surprised a dear friend of mine, Tracy Stabler, with the 2012 award. Tracy is always behind the scenes organizing our Spirituality Committee, and this year, initiated home masses which have proven very successful with our members. She always gets the job done and makes it appear so effortless. And for a mother of four, this is not an easy task. I'd like to thank all our members for attending our meetings, events and masses. And in the words of our founder, "Nothing is ever too much to do for a child!"
Lambi Newsham President |
| Our Board |
President Lambi Newsham
Vice Presidents Margaret Whelan
Kathryn Colao
Treasurer Maura Perier
Secretary Lori White
Spiritual Advisors Fr. Brian Plate
Msgr. Geunther
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Coming Up...
May 1, 2012
Home Mass 8:30 am
113 Whitredge Rd.
May 4, 2012
CHS Volunteer Visit
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
May 7 - 11, 2012
School Supplies Drive
Member Cocktail Party/
New Member Welcome
7 pm - location TBD
June 5, 2012
First Tuesday mass
8:30 am St. Teresa's
June 6, 2012
CHS Volunteer Visit
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
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| It's time for our Annual School Supplies Drive, May 7 - 11 |
The Christ Child Society is partnering with Bridges Outreach to collect and distribute next year's school supplies for the approximately 500 children in need in the Summit Public Schools. Last year, we were able to assist the 350 elementary, middle school and high school students that attended our
distribution in August.
Collection bins will be available for donations during the week of May 7-11 by the main offices of the Summit Public schools, at the entrances to St. Teresa's Church and Memorial Hall, in the main lobby of the Summit YMCA, and at 36 Woodland Avenue in Summit.
The next time that you are out running errands, please think about helping these children by purchasing some of the following items. We are collecting:
1" or 2" Binders
3-hole Pencil Cases
Subject Dividers
2-Pocket Folders
Marble Composition Books
Loose Leaf Paper (wide and college ruled)
Spiral Notebooks (wide and college ruled)
8-Pack Colored Pencils or Thin Markers
#2 Pencils and Erasers
Blue, Black & Red Pens
24-Pack Crayons
Highlighters
If you have any questions, please email us at
[email protected].
Sally Golding and Jane Murphy
School Supplies Drive Co-Chairs
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| Layette Cards Offer New Ways to Give |
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Christ Child Layette Cards are a thoughtful and meaningful way to express sentiments to those important in our lives, while at the same time providing important items to newborns in need. Now, members and friends have many ways to donate. The options available also give buyers the satisfaction of knowing where their contributions will be used. Layette Cards can be given in honor of, in memory of, or for any other occasion you choose - birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day, etc. You may purchase a card for $10, which will help to fund items for layettes, or you may choose to make a donation in the amount of $40 or more, underwriting an entire layette. With each layette given, a card will be enclosed indicating whom the donation honors. You can purchase Layette Cards in two ways: 1. On-line on the Christ Child website, www.christchildsummit.org with payment by credit card using the PayPal system 2. By using Layette envelopes available in the rear of St. Teresa of Avila Church or from Angela Schroeder at [email protected]. Our energized Layette Card program has the potential to make a significant difference to those born without the benefit of essentials we take for granted. It is an important step in continuing the work of Mary Virginia Merrick; "Nothing is ever too much to do for a child." Donations since November 2011 In Memory of Howard Love The Cohen Family In Memory of John J. Egan The Christ Child Society In Honor of Bill Sheehan Angela Ferry Schroeder In Memory of Mark Smith Lucy Savellano Remus In Honor of Lois Schneider's 80th Birthday Lenore Ford In Memory of Thomas Cahill Lenore Ford In Memory of Theodore Kawoczka The Colao Family The Rath Family In Memory of Merlin Leonard Rhonda Bowker
In Memory of Thomas J. Haggerty The Rath Family In Memory of Jean Hughes The Rath Family Get Well - Sherry Rawson Eileen Rath
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| News from the Spirituality Committee |
Please join us for our next Home Mass
Please join us on Tuesday, May 1st, as we gather to celebrate the first Tuesday of the month Mass at 8:30 am at Marilyn Chambeau's house at
113 Whittredge Road, Summit.
This is a very special opportunity to come together as members of the Christ Child Society. Father Plate will be our celebrant. Mass will follow the same format as daily Mass at St. Teresa's. Mass will start promptly at 8:30. Coffee will be served following Mass.
Please let us know if you have a special loved one you would like us to keep in our prayers. Please forward their name to [email protected] and we will add their name to our prayer list. We will bring our prayer list to our monthly Mass gatherings and include their name in our monthly newsletter. Prayer requests can be made at any time.
Please pray for:
Larry DeCesare, Lisa Clark's father-in-law who recently passed away.
Theodore Kawoczka, Kathy Branchina's father who recently passed away.
Roy Massengill, Linda Massengill's father-in-law who recently passed away.
Hope to see you on May 1st,
Tracy Stabler
Spirituality Chair
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6th Annual Baby Shower
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| Co Chairs Ann Marvin and Linda Massengill |
Once again, we had a great day of community, worship, and service at our annual Baby Shower. It was well attended by over 80 people, and we received many generous donations from members and friends. The equivalent of about 100 layettes were donated! Our Co-Chairs, Ann Marvin and Linda Massengill, did a wonderful job making it a day to remember. Tracy Stabler put together a lovely mass, and received this year's Mary Virginia Merrick award for all her work on the Spirituality committee. Marilyn Chambeau served a marvelous lunch with style and grace. Jill Stanley and one of our newest members, Cheryl Mullery, did an outstanding job with the decorations. Thanks also to Theresa Sweeney for coordinating our layette donations, and to Marianna Hurrell for kicking off our new Layette Card program. All the other volunteers who donated food items, helped set up, clean up, and serve food, made it all come together beautifully. The shower is the Christ Child Society's signature event and we cannot do it without the help and support of our members. Thank you!
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| Marianna Hurrell introduces new Layette card at the Baby Shower |
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Mary Virginia Merrick Award
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| Tracy receiving MVM Award from Lambi |
Each year we recognize a Christ Child member for their outstanding efforts. The 2012 Mary Virginia Merrick Award was presented to Tracy Stabler in recognition of her leadership and devotion in furthering the Christ Child mission of service, and in particular, spirituality. Tracy was a founding member, started and chaired the Spirituality committee, and this year, initiated the very popular in home masses for our members. In addition to raising four very busy children - Eric, Jennifer, Caitlin, and Cecily - Tracy spends her volunteer time with the Christ Child Society, is a manager of Area Baby Center, and volunteers at the Rosary Shrine. She never says no, never seems to get angry, always gets the job done, and always graciously. Amazingly, the house next door to where Tracy grew up outside Washington, DC (her parents are still live there) was where Mary Virginia Merrick, our founder, lived.
Congratulations Tracy, and thank you for all you do for the Christ Child Society!
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| Layette Update |
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| Layette Committee members Janet Keller, Theresa Sweeney, Sally Golding, and Margaret Whelan at the 2012 Baby Shower |
The Layette Committee started off the year with a very special trip to Overlook Hospital. One of our "Sewing Angels", Walt Bischoff, went with us in February to deliver layettes to the Health Start Program. Everyone was so happy to meet him and thank him personally for all he does for the children of the Program! Our annual Baby Shower was wonderful. We received 102 outfits and many other lovely donations! With items that we have in inventory and monetary donations received, we feel that we will be able to assemble 100 complete layettes in the months to come. In the week following the shower, with the help of 15 members, we were able to put together 43 spring/summer layettes! We have added a new organization, Good Counsel, a residence for homeless, expectant and new mothers, to our list of layette recipients this year, and have recently gone back to Morristown Hospital's Family Health Center. Girl Scout Troop 41225 tied 6 fleece blankets for us and then decided they would do a collection of layette items through OLP Church and OLP School. They collected 8 bags of items and are putting layettes together in May. We attended the Celtic Sisters 3rd Annual Baby Shower on April 18th in West Orange and once again the generosity of this wonderful group was overwhelming. We brought back 10 bags of beautiful items and had lots of fun! They love giving actual layette items instead of monetary donations, that way each layette is unique. Sound familiar? To date, we have delivered the following layettes: ABC 1 January, 2012 Overlook 31 February, 2012 Good Counsel 12 February, 2012 Morristown 20 March, 2012 Overlook 21 April, 2012
85 We distributed a total of 157 layettes in the 2011 calendar year. Thanks to everyone...we are making a difference! If you are interested in helping with assembling, shopping for, or delivering layettes, please contact Theresa Sweeney at [email protected]. Theresa Sweeney and Janet Keller Layette Committee Chairs
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| Knitting Angels Update |
 The Knitting Angels continue to produce beautiful handmade baby items to bring that special personalized touch to our layettes. So far this year, the Knitting Angels committee has received 160 fleece or knit blankets, 101 knit hats and 54 miscellaneous knit items - mittens, sweaters, buntings, etc. One Brownie Troop will be donating 27 more fleece blankets sometime in May! We are always looking for groups or individuals to make blankets for the layettes. Janet Keller can provide the instructions (with pictures!) for this easy, fun project. If you or a friend would like to make a blanket or two, contact Janet at [email protected]. |
| Central High School Update |
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| Christie McGinn during our February volunteer visit |
Our relationship with The Infant and Toddler Learning Center at Central High School in Newark continues to flourish. We made 7 volunteer visits so far this year. We brought school supplies in September, Party supplies for Halloween in October, coats for teens in November, Christmas gifts from the Advent Giving Tree for the babies and teens, party supplies, and a staff appreciation luncheon in December. For Valentines' Day, we gave flowers, cards and candy to teen moms. Everyone deserves a little something special on Valentines' Day! We hope that these small gestures remind these teens that the members of the Christ Child Society of Summit appreciate how hard teen parenting is, and how important it is to be recognized for it now and then. In April, we held a Job Readiness Workshop for the teens to help them find a summer job, or a job after graduation. We are planning something special for the teen moms for Mother's Day, and will recognize the graduating seniors in June.
Our mission, "Challenging Poverty: One Child at a Time", challenges us to volunteer on a personal level with children. Mary Virginia Merrick, the founder of CCS is quoted: "....personal contact with the needy for the love of Christ develops true charity and gives it vital force." It is in this spirit that we will continue having dedicated volunteers visit the center regularly, meeting needs as they arise in child care assistance, reception duties and eventually, mentoring teens. Volunteer hours are flexible and during the school day, making this service opportunity suitable for people with children of their own. Please contact Kathryn Colao at [email protected] if you are interested in visiting and volunteering at Central High School.
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Membership News
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The Christ Child Society of Summit is now 85 members strong. We would like to welcome the following members who have joined since the fall:
Kathy Branchina Cheryl Mullery
Kathy Gettings Kate Rasweiler
Amy Goldy Patti Richards
Karen Infantini Karen Sanyour
Bev Leuhs Lynne Strabley
Christie McGinn Julie Vlass
Many have already jumped right in and have visited Central High, helped with layettes, and come to our shower. Please welcome them when you see them around town, or at our next CCS function! If you have forgotten to pay your membership dues, you will be contacted by our Membership Chair, Betty Ann Lecky. Please help us finalize our roster in a timely manner. Visit our website at www.christchildsummit.org to pay dues on line. Don't forget to keep us informed of any changes in your email address, mailing address, or phone number. Contact Betty Ann at [email protected] with any changes. |
| Save the Dates.... |
May 1 - First Tuesday Home Mass at 113 Whitredge Rd, 8:30 am
May 4 - Central High School Volunteer Visit 9 am to 12 pm
May 11 - Cocktails with the Christ Child Society/New Member Welcome 7 pm
June 5 - First Tuesday mass at St. Teresa's 8:30 am
June 6 - Central High School Volunteer Visit 9 am to 12 pm
See our website calendar for more information.
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| Looking for a Few Good Women... |
The Christ Child Society of Summit wants YOU!
We are looking to fill the following positions :
Baby Shower Co-Chairs
School Supplies Co-Chair(s)
Rummage Sale Co-Chairs
There are also opportunities available to help with our newsletter and website. Please consider donating a bit more of your time and talents to the Christ Child Society to help us succeed in our mission to make a difference in the lives of children in need. Contact Lambi at [email protected] if you are interested.
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| Christ Child Society Contact List |
To learn more about our activities and opportunities visit our website or contact the following:
Central High School Infant and Toddler Learning Center -
Kathryn Colao at [email protected]
Layettes Theresa Sweeney at [email protected]
Margaret Strong at [email protected]
Janet Keller at [email protected]
Knitting Angels Janet Keller at [email protected]
School Supplies Drive Jane Murphy at [email protected]
Sally Golding at [email protected]
Lisa McDonald at [email protected]
Prayer Intentions/Mass Tracy Stabler at [email protected]
Newsletter/email Blasts Kathryn Colao at [email protected]
Website Marybeth Robb at [email protected]
Kathryn Colao at [email protected]
Membership Betty Ann Lecky at [email protected]
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The Christ Child Society Prayer
"Remember in the sacrifice of Your own and only Child, all children everywhere throughout the world, and grant that, like Your Son, as they increase in years, they may grow in grace and wisdom before You, and in the sight of all, for the improvement and saving of the world. Jesus, the Friend of little children, bless the little children of the world."
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